HE  DISCOVERIES  of  John 
LEDERER,  in  three  several 
Marches  from  VIRGINIA,  to 
the  West  of  Carolina,  and  other 
parts  of  the  Continent :  Begun 
in  March  1669,  and  ended  in 
September  1670.  Together  with  a  General  Map 
of  the  whole  Territory  which  he  traversed. 
Collected  and  Translated  out  of  Latine  from 
his  Discourse  and  Writings,  by  Sir  William 
Talbot,  Baronet.     London,   1672. 


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A  MAP     OF    THE  WHOLE  TERRITORY  TRAV 


FP  BY  JOHN  LEPERERIN  HIS  THREE  MARCHES. 


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THE 

DISCOVERIES 

OF 

JOHN  LET>E%EiFi, 

In  three  feveral  Marches  from 

VIRGINIA, 

To  the  Weft  of 

Carolina, 

And  other  parts  of  the  Continent: 

Begun  in  March  1669,  and  ended  in  September  1670. 
Together  with 

A  General  MAP  of  the  whole  Territory 
which  he  traverfed. 


Collected  and  Tranllated  out  of  Latine  from  his  Difcourfe 

and  Writings, 

By  Sir  William  Talbot,  Baronet. 


Sed  nos  immenfum  fpatiis  confecimus  aquor, 
Et  jam  tempus  equum  fumantia  folvere  colla.    Virg.  Georg. 


London,  Printed  by  J.  C.  for Samuel Heyrick,  at  Grays- 
Inne-gate  in  Holborn.     1672. 


Three  hundred  copies 

reprinted  for 

GEORGE    P.    HUMPHREY 

Rochester,  N.    Y. 

IQ02. 


No. 


i 


To  the  Right  Honourable 
ANTHONY     Lord  Ashley, 
Baron  Ashley   of   Wimborn  St.  Giles, 
Chancellor    of    his    Majesties    Exchequer, 
Under-Treasurer  of  England, 
One  of  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  his  Ma- 
jesties Treasury,  one  of  the  Lords  of  his 
most    Honourable    Privie    Council, 
and  one  of  the  Lords  Proprie- 
tors of   CAROLINA. 

My  Lord, 

From  this  discourse  it  is  clear  that  the  long  looked-for 
discovery    of    the    Indian    Sea    does    nearly    approach  ;     and 
'  Carolina,    out    of    her    happy    experience    of    your    lordships 
-  success  in  great  undertakings,  presumes  that  the  accomplish- 
ment   of  this  glorious  designe  is  reserved  for  her.     In  order 
v- to  which,  the  Apalataean  Mountains   (though  like    the  pro- 
digious wall  that  divides  China  and  Tartary,  they  deny  Vir- 
ginia   passage    into    the    West    Continent)     stoop    to    your 
>  lordships   dominions,  and  lay  open  a  prospect   into  unlimited 
"empires;    empires    that    will    hereafter  be  ambitious  of    sub- 
J  jection    to  that    noble    government  which  by    your  lordships 
rlleep  wisdom  and  providence  first  projected  is  now  established 
0  in  Carolina ;    for  it  will  appear  that  she    flourishes  more    by 
"-"the  influence  of  that,  than  the  advantages  she  derives  from 
her  climate   and  soyl,   which  yet   do    render    her    the    beauty 
and  envy  of  North-America.        That  all  her    glories    should 
\  be  seen    in  this    draught,  is  not    reasonably  to   be  expected, 
since  she    sate  to- my    author  but  once,   and    then  too  with 
a  side-face  ;   and  therefore  I  must  own  it  was  never  by  him 
",.  designed  for  the  press,  but  published  by  me,  out  of  no  other 
ambition  than  that  of   manifesting  to  the  world,  that  I  am, 

My  Lord, 
Your  lordships  most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

William  Talbot. 


To    the    READER. 

That  a  stranger  should  presume  (though  with  Sir 
William  Berkly's  Commission)  to  go  into  those  parts  of  the 
American  Continent  where  Englishmen  never  had  been,  and 
whither  some  refused  to  accompany  him,  was,  in  Virginia 
look'd  on  as  so  great  an  insolence,  that  our  traveller  at  his 
return,  instead  of  welcom  and  applause,  met  nothing  but 
affronts  and  reproaches ;  for  indeed  it  was  their  part,  that 
forsook  him  in  the  expedition,  to  procure  him  discredit  that 
was  a  witness  to  theirs ;  therefore  no  industry  was  wanting 
to  prepare  men  with  a  prejudice  against  him,  and  this  their 
malice  improved  to  such  a  general  animosity,  that  he  was 
not  safe  in  Virginia  from  the  outrage  of  the  people,  drawn 
into  a  perswasion,  that  the  publick  levy  of  that  year,  went 
all  to  the  expence  of  his  vagaries.  Forced  by  this  storm 
into  Maryland,  he  became  known  to  me,  though  then  ill- 
affected  to  the  man,  by  the  stories  that  went  about  of  him  : 
Nevertheless  finding  him,  contrary  to  my  expectation,  a 
modest  ingenious  person,  and  a  pretty  scholar,  I  thought  it 
common  justice  to  give  him  an  occasion  of  vindicating  him- 
self from  what  I  had  heard  of  him ;  which  truly  he  did  with 
so  convincing  reason  and  circumstance,  as  quite  abolished 
those  former  impressions  in  me,  and  made  me  desire  this 
account  of  his  travels,  which  here  you  have  faithfully  rendred 
out  of  Latine  from  his  own  writings  and  discourse,  with  an 
entire  map  of  the  territory  he  traversed,  copied  from  his  own 
hand.  All  these  I  have  compared  with  Indian  relations  of 
those  parts  (though  I  never  met  with  any  Indian  that  had 
followed  a  southwest-course  so  far  as  this  German)  and  find- 
ing them  agree,  I  thought  the  printing  of  these  papers  was 
no  injury  to  the  author,  and  might  prove  a  service  to  the 
publick. 

William  Talbot. 


The 

DISCOVERIES   OF   JOHN    LEDERER 

from  Virginia  to  the  West  of  Carolina 

and  other  parts  of    the  Continent. 

A  General  and  Brief  Account  of  the  North- 
American  Continent. 

North,  as  well  as  South-America,  may  be  divided  into 
three  regions  :  the  flats,  the  highlands,  and  the  mountains. 
The  flats,  (in  Indian,  Ahkynt)  is  the  territory  lying  between 
the  eastern  coast,  and  the  falls  of  the  great  rivers,  that 
there  run  into  the  Atlantick  Ocean,  in  extent  generally 
taken  ninety  miles.  The  highlands  (in  Indian,  Ahkontshuck) 
begin  at  those  falls,  and  determine  at  the  foot  of  the 
great  ridge  of  mountains  that  runs  thorow  the  midst  of  this 
continent,  northeast  and  southwest,  called  by  the  Spaniards 
Apalatai,  from  the  Nation  Apalakin  ;  and  by  the  Indians, 
Pamotinck.  According  to  the  best  of  my  observation  and 
conjecture,  they  lie  parallel  to  the  Atlantick  sea-coast,  that 
bearing  from  Canada  to  Cape  Florida,  northeast  and  south- 
west, and  then  falling  off  due  west  as  the  mountains  do  at 
Sara  :  but  here  they  take  the  name  of  Suala ;  Sara  in  the 
Warrennuncock  dialect  being  Sasa  or  Sualy. 

The  flats,  or  Ahkynt,  are  by  former  writers  made  so 
well  known  to  Christendom,  that  I  will  not  stop  the  reader 
here,  with  an  unnecessary  discription  of  them  ;  but  shall 
onely  say,  that  by  the  rankness  of  the  soyl,  and  salt  moist- 
ness  of  the  air,  daily  discoveries  of  fish-shells  three  fathom 
deep  in  the  earth,  and  Indian  tradition  ;  these  parts  are 
supposed  some  ages  past  to  have  lain  under  the  sea. 

The  highlands  (or  Ahkontshuck)  though  under  the  same 
parallels,  are  happie  notwithstanding  in  a  more  temperate 
and  healthful  air.       The  ground  is  over-grown    with  under- 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

wood  in  many  places,  and  that  so  perplext  and  interwoven 
with  vines,  that  who  travels  here,  must  sometimes  cut 
through  his  way.  These  thickets  harbour  all  sorts  of  beasts 
of  prey,  as  wolves,  panthers,  leopards,  lions,  etc.  (which  are 
neither  so  large  nor  so  fierce  as  those  of  Asia  and  Africa) 
and  small  vermine  as  wilde  cats,  foxes,  racoons.  These  parts 
were  formerly  possessed  by  the  Tacci  alias  Dogi ;  but  they 
are  extinct ;  and  the  Indians  now  seated  here,  are  distin- 
guished into  the  several  nations  of  Mahoc,  Nuntaneuck,  alias 
Nuntaly,  Nahyssan,  Sapon,  Managog,  Mangoack,  Akenatzy, 
and  Monakin,  etc.  One  language  is  common  to  them  all 
though  they  differ  in  dialects.  The  parts  inhabited  here  are 
pleasant  and  fruitful,  because  cleared  of  wood,  and  laid  open 
to  the  sun.  The  valleys  feed  numerous  herds  of  deer  and 
elks  larger  than  oxen :  these  valleys  they  call  Savanae,  being 
marish  grounds  at  the  foot  of  the  Apalataei,  and  yearly  laid 
under  water  in  the  beginning  of  summer  by  flouds  of  melted 
snow  falling  down  from  the  mountains. 

The  Apalataean  mountains,  called  in  Indian  Ptsmotinck, 
(or  the  origine  of  the  Indians)  are  barren  rocks,  and  therefore 
deserted  by  all  living  creatures  but  bears,  who  cave  in  the 
hollow  cliffs.  Yet  do  these  mountains  shoot  out  to  the 
eastward  great  promontories  of  rich  land,  known  by  the 
high  and  spreading  trees  which  they  bear  :  these  promon- 
tories, because  lower  than  the  main  ridge,  are  called  by  the 
Indians  Tanx-P&motinck  (alias  Aquatt).  To  the  north- 
east the  mountains  rise  higher;  and  at  Sara  they  sink  so 
low,  that  they  are  easily  passed  over:  but  here  (as  was  said 
before)  they  change  their  course  and  name,  running  due 
West,  and  being  called  Sualy:  now  the  Sualian  mountains 
rise  higher  and  higher  westward. 


The    Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

Of  the  Manners   aud  Customs   of  the  Indians    in- 
habiting the  Western  parts  of  Carolina 
and  Virginia. 

The  Indians  now  seated  in  these  parts  are  none  of  those 
which  the  English  removed  from  Virginia,  but  a  people 
driven  by  an  enemy  from  the  Northwest,  and  invited  to  sit 
down  here  by  an  oracle  about  four  hundred  years  since,  as 
they  pretend :  for  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Virginia  were 
far  more  rude  and  barbourous,  feeding  onely  upon  raw  flesh 
and  fish,  until  these  taught  them  to  plant  corn,  and  shewed 
them  the  use  of  it. 

But  before  I  treat  of  their  ancient  manners  and  customs, 
it  is  necessary  I  should  shew  by  what  means  the  knowledge 
of  them  has  been  conveyed  from  former  ages  to  posterity. 
Three  ways  they  supply  their  want  of  letters :  first  by 
counters,  secondly  by  emblemes  or  hieroglyphicks,  thirdly  by 
tradition  delivered  in  long  tales  from  father  to  son,  which 
being  children  they  are  made  to  learn  by  rote. 

For  counters,  they  use  either  pebbles,  or  short  scant- 
lings of  straw  or  reeds.  Where  a  battle  has  been  fought, 
or  a  colony  seated,  they  raise  a  small  pyramid  of  these 
stones,  consisting  of  the  number  slain  or  transplanted. 
Their  reeds  and  straws  serve  them  in  religious  ceremonies  : 
for  they  lay  them  orderly  in  a  circle  when  they  prepare  for 
devotion  or  sacrifice  ;  and  thet  performed,  the  circle  remains 
still :  for  it  is  sacriledge  to  disturb  or  to  touch  it  :  the 
disposition  and  sorting  of  the  straws  and  reeds,  shew  what 
kinde  of  rites  have  there  been  celebrated,  as  invocation, 
sacrifice,   burial,  etc. 

The  faculties  of  the  minde  and  body  they  commonly 
express  by  emblems.  By  the  figure  of  a  stag,  they  imply 
swiftness ;  by  that  of  a  serpent,  wrath  ;  of  a  lion,  courage  ; 
of  a  dog,  fidelity :  by  a  swan,  they  signifie  the  English, 
alluding  to  their  complexion,  and  flight  over  the  sea. 

An  account  of  time,  and  other  things,  they  keep  on  a 
string  or  leather  thong  tied  in  knots  of  several  colours.       I 


The    Discoveries     of    John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

took  particular  notice  of  small  wheels  serving  for  this  pur- 
pose amongst  the  Oenocks,  because  I  have  heard  that  the 
Mexicans  use  the  same.  Every  nation  gives  his  particular 
ensigne  or  arms :  The  Sasquesahanaugh  a  Tarapine,  or 
small  tortoise ;  the  Akenatzy's  a  serpent ;  the  Nahyssanes 
three  arrows,  etc.  In  this  they  likewise  agree  with  the 
Mexican  Indians.     Vid.   Jos.  a  Costa. 

They  worship  one  God,  Creator  of  all  things,  whom 
some  call  Okaec,  others  Mannith  :  to  him  alone  the  high- 
priest,  or  Periku,  offers  sacrifice;  and  yet  they  believe  he 
has  no  regard  to  sublunary  affairs,  but  commits  the  govern- 
ment of  mankinde  to  lesser  deities,  as  ^uiacosough  and 
Tagkanysough ,  that  is,  good  and  evil  spirits:  to  these  the 
inferiour  priests  pay  their  devotion  and  sacrifice,  at  which 
they  make  recitals,  to  a  lamentable  tune,  of  the  great  things 
done  by  their  ancestors. 

From  four  women,  viz.  Pash,  Sepoy,  Askarin  and  Mar- 
askarin,  they  derive  the  race  of  mankinde  ;  which  they  there- 
fore divide  into  four  tribes,  distinguished  under  those  several 
names.  They  very  religiously  observe  the  degrees  of  mar- 
riage, which  they  limit  not  to  distance  of  kindred,  but  dif- 
ference of  tribes,  which  are  continued  in  the  issue  of  the 
females :  now  for  two  of  the  same  tribe  to  match,  is  ab- 
horred as  incest,  and  punished  with  great  severity. 

Their  places  of  burial  they  divide  into  four  quarters, 
assigning  to  every  tribe  one  :  for,  to  mingle  their  bodies,  even 
when  dead,  they  hold  wicked  and  ominous.  They  commonly 
wrap  up  the  corpse  in  beasts  skins,  and  bury  with  it  provi- 
sion and  housholdstuff  for  its  use  in  the  other  world. 
When  their  great  men  die,  they  likewise  slay  prisoners  of 
war  to  attend  them.  They  believe  the  transmigration  of 
souls  :  for  the  angry  they  say  is  possest  with  the  spirit  of  a 
serpent ;  the  bloudy  with  that  of  a  wolf ;  the  timorous,  of  a 
deer ;  the  faithful,  of  a  dog,  etc.  and  therefore  they  are 
figured  by  these  emblemes. 

Elizium,  or  the  abode  of  their  lesser  deities,  they  place 
beyond  the  mountains  and  Indian  Ocean. 

8 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

Though  they  want  those  means  of  improving  human 
reason,  which  the  use  of  letters  affords  us;  let  us  not  there- 
fore conclude  them  wholly  destitute  of  learning  and  sciences  : 
for  by  these  little  helps  which  they  have  found,  many  of 
them  advance  their  natural  understandings  to  great  knowl- 
edge in  physick,  rhetorick  and  policie  of  government :  for  I 
have  been  present  at  several  of  their  consultations  and  de- 
bates, and  to  my  admiration  have  heard  some  of  their  seniors 
deliver  themselves  with  as  much  judgement  and  eloquence  as 
I  should  have  expected  from  men  of  civil  education  and 
literature. 


THE    FIRST    EXPEDITION, 
From   the    head    of    Pemaeoncock,    alias   York- 
River   (due  West)    to  the  top  of  the 
Apalataean  Mountains. 

Upon  the  ninth  of  March,  1669,  (with  three  Indians 
whose  names  were  Magtakunh,  Hopottoguoh  and  Naunnugh) 
I  went  out  at  the  falls  of  Pemaeoncock,  alias  York-River  in 
Virginia,  from  an  Indian  village  called  Shickehamany,  and 
lay  that  night  in  the  woods,  encountring  nothing  remarka- 
ble, but  a  rattle-snake  of  an  extraordinary  length  and  tick- 
ness,  for  I  judged  it  two  yards  and  a  half  or  better  from 
head  to  tail,  and  as  big  about  as  a  mans  arm :  by  the  dis- 
tention of  her  belly,  we  believed  her  full  with  young;  but 
having  killed  and  opened  her,  found  there  a  small  squirrel 
whole  ;  which  caused  in  me  a  double  wonder  :  first,  how  a 
reptile  should  catch  so  nimble  a  creature  as  a  squirrel ;  and 
having  caught  it,  how  he  could  swallow  it  entire.  The 
Indians  in  resolving  my  doubts,  plunged  me  into  a  greater 
astonishment,  when  they  told  me  that  it  was  usual  in  these 
serpents,  when  they  lie  basking  in  the  sun,  to  fetch    down 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

these  squirrels  from  the  tops  of  the  trees,  by  fixing  their 
eye  steadfastly  upon  them  ;  the  horrour  of  which  strikes  such 
an  affrightment  into  the  little  beast,  that  he  has  no  power 
to  hinder  himself  from  tumbling  down  into  the  jaws  of  his 
enemy,  who  takes  in  all  his  sustenance  without  chewing, 
his  teeth  serving  him  onely  to  offend  withal.  But  I  rather 
believe  what  I  have  heard  from  others,  that  these  serpents 
climb  the  trees,   and  surprise  their  prey  in  the  nest. 

The  next  day  falling  into  marish  grounds  between  the 
Pemaeoncock  and  the  head  of  the  River  Matapeneugh,  the 
heaviness   of    the    way    obliged    me    to    cross    Pemaeoncock, 
where   its  North  and    South    branch    (called  Ackmick)   joyn 
in  one.     In  the  peninsula  made  by    these    two    branches,   a 
great  Indian  king  called   Tottopottoma  was  heretofore  slain 
in  battle,  fighting    for    the  Christians   against    the  Mahocks 
and  Nahyssans,  from  whence  it  retains  his  name  to  this  day. 
Travelling    thorow    the    woods,  a  doe    seized    by  a  wild  cat 
crossed  our  way  ;  the  miserable    creature    being    even    spent 
and  breathless  with  the  burden  and  cruelty  of  her  rider,  who 
having  fastened  on  her  shoulder,    left  not    sucking  out    her 
bloud  until  she  sunk  under  him  :  which  one  of  the  Indians 
perceiving,  let  fly  a  lucky  arrow,  which  piercing  him  thorow 
the  belly,  made  him   quit    his    prey    already   slain,  and    turn 
with  a  terrible  grimas    at  us ;    but    his    strength    and    spirits 
failing    him,    we    escaped    his    revenge,  which   had    certainly 
ensued,  were  not  his  wound  mortal.     This  creature  is  some- 
thing bigger  than  our  English  fox,  of  a  reddish  grey  colour, 
and  in  figure  every  way  agreeing  with  an  ordinary  cat ;  fierce, 
ravenous  and    cunning:    for  finding    the    deer   (upon    which 
they  delight  most  to  prey)   too    swift  for  them,  they  watch 
upon    branches  of    trees,  and    as  they    walk    or  feed    under, 
jump  down  upon  them.     The  fur  of  the  wilde  cat,  though 
not  very  fine,  is  yet  esteemed  for  its  virtue  in  taking  away 
cold  aches    and  pains,  being  worn    next  to  the  body ;    their 
flesh,  though  rank  as  a  dogs,  is  eaten  by  the  Indians. 

The  eleventh  and    twelfth,  I  found  the  ways    very  un- 
even   and  cumbred  with  bushes. 


10 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

The  thirteenth,  I  reached  the  first  spring  of  Pemason- 
cock,  having  crossed  the  river  four  times  that  day,  by  reason 
of  its  many  windings  ;  but  the  water  was  so  shallow,  that 
it  hardly  wet  my  horses  patterns.  Here  a  little  under  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  I  found  flat  pieces  of  petrified  matter, 
of  one  side  solid  stone,  but  on  the  other  side  isinglas,  which 
I  easily  peeled  off  in  flakes  about  four  inches  square  :  several 
of  these  pieces,  with  a  transparent  stone  like  crystal  that 
cut  glass,  and  a  white  marchasite  that  I  purchased  of  the 
Indians,  I  presented  to  Sir  William  Berkley,  Governour  of 
Virginia. 

The  fourteenth  of  March,  from  the  top  of  an  eminent 
hill,  I  first  descried  that  Apalataean  mountains,  bearing  due 
west  to  the  place  I  stood  upon  :  their  distance  from  me 
was  so  great,  that  I  could  hardly  discern  whether  they  were 
mountains  or  clouds,  until  my  Indian  fellow  travellers  pros- 
trating themselves  in  adoration,  howled  out  after  a  barbarous 
manner,   Ok'ee  p<eze  i.  e.  God  is  nigh. 

The  fifteenth  of  March,  not  far  from  this  hill,  passing 
over  the  South-branch  of  Rappahanock-river,  I  was  almost 
swallowed  in  a  quicksand.  Great  herds  of  red  and  fallow 
deer  I  daily  saw  feeding  ;  and  on  the  hill-sides,  bears  crashing 
mast  like  swine.  Small  leopards  I  have  seen  in  the  woods, 
but  never  any  lions,  though  their  skins  are  much  worn  by 
the  Indians.  The  wolves  in  these  parts  are  so  ravenous, 
that  I  often  in  the  night  feared  my  horse  would  be  devoured 
by  them,  they  would  gather  up  and  howl  so  close  round 
about  him,  though  tethr'd  to  the  same  tree  at  whose  foot  I 
my  self  and  the  Indians  lay :  but  the  fires  which  we  made, 
I  suppose,  scared  them  from  worrying  us  all.  Beaver  and 
otter  I  met  with  at  every  river  that  I  passed  ;  and  the  woods 
are  full  of  grey  foxes. 

Thus  I  travelled  all  the  sixteenth ;  and  on  the  seven- 
teenth of  March  I  reached  the  Apalataei.  The  air  here  is 
very  thick  and  chill  ;  and  the  waters  issuing  from  the 
mountain-sides,  of  a  blue  colour,   and  allumish  taste. 


II 


U.0F!lLlia 


The    Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

The  eighteenth  of  March,  after  I  had  in  vain  assayed 
to  ride  up,  I  alighted,  and  left  my  horse  with  one  of  the 
Indians,  whilst  with  the  other  two  I  climbed  up  the  rocks, 
which  were  so  incumbred  with  bushes  and  brambles,  that 
the  ascent  proved  very  difficult :  besides  the  first  precipice 
was  so  steep,  that  if  I  lookt  down,  I  was  immediately 
taken  with  a  swimming  in  my  head ;  though  afterwards  the 
way  was  more  easie.  The  height  of  this  mountain  was  very 
extraordinary :  for  notwithstanding  I  set  out  with  the  first 
appearance  of  light,  it  was  late  in  the  evening  before  I 
gained  the  top,  from  whence  the  next  morning  I  had  a 
beautiful  prospect  of  the  Atlantick-Ocean  washing  the  Vir- 
ginian-shore ;  but  to  the  north  and  west,  my  sight  was 
suddenly  bounded  by  mountains  higher  than  that  I  stood 
upon.  Here  did  I  wander  in  snow,  for  the  most  part,  till 
the  four  and  twentieth  day  of  March,  hoping  to  find  some 
passage  through  the  mountains ;  but  the  coldness  of  the  air 
and  earth  together,  seizing  my  hands  and  feet  with  numb- 
ness, put  me  to  a  ne  plus  ultra  ;  and  therefore  having  found 
my  Indian  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  with  my  horse,  I 
returned  back  by  the  same  way  that  I  went. 


THE    SECOND    EXPEDITION, 

From     the    Falls    of     Powhatan,    alias    James- 
River,  in  Virginia,  to  Mahock   in  the 
Apalatsean  Mountains. 

The  twentieth  of  May  1670,  one  Major  Harris  and 
myself,  with  twenty  Christian  horse,  and  five  Indians,  march- 
ed from  the  falls  of  James-river,  in  Virginia,  toward  the 
Monakins  ;  and  on  the  two  and  twentieth  were  welcomed 
by  them  with  volleys  of  shot.  Near  this  village  we  observed 
a  pyramid  of   stones    piled  up    together,  which   their    priests 


12 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

told  us  was  the  number  of  an  Indian  colony  drawn  out  by 
lot  from  a  neighbour-countrey  over-peopled,  and  led  hither  by 
one  Monack,  from  whom  they  take  the  name  of  Monakin. 
Here  enquiring  the  way  to  the  mountains,  an  ancient  man 
described  with  a  staffe  two  paths  on  the  ground  ;  one  point- 
ing to  the  Mahocks,  and  the  other  to  the  Nahyssans ; 
but  my  English  companions  slighting  the  Indians  direction, 
shaped  their  course  by  the  compass  due  west,  and  therefore 
it  fell  out  with  us  as  it  does  with  those  land-crabs,  that  crawl- 
ing backwards  in  a  direct  line,  avoid  not  the  trees  that  stand 
in  their  way,  but  climbing  over  their  very  tops,  come  down 
again  on  the  other  side,  and  so  after  a  days  labour  gain  not 
above  two  foot  of  ground.  Thus  we  obstinately  pursuing 
a  due  west  course,  rode  over  steep  and  craggy  cliffs,  which 
beat  our  horses  quite  off  the  hoof.  In  these  mountains  we 
wandered  from  the  twenty  fifth  of  May  till  the  third  of  June, 
finding  little  sustenance  for  man  or  horse  ;  for  these  places 
are  destitute  both  of  grain  and  herbage. 

The  third  of  June  we  came  to  the  south-branch  of 
James-river,  which  Major  Harris  observing  to  run  northward, 
vainly  imagined  to  be  an  arm  of  the  lake  of  Canada  ;  and 
was  so  transported  with  this  fancy,  that  he  would  have 
raised  a  pillar  to  the  discovery,  if  the  fear  of  the  Mahock 
Indian,  and  want  of  food  had  permitted  him  to  stay.  Here 
I  moved  to  cross  the  river  and  march  on  ;  but  the  rest  of 
the  company  were  so  weary  of  the  enterprize,  that  crying 
out,  one  and  all,  they  had  offered  violence  to  me,  had  I  not 
been  provided  with  a  private  commission  from  the  Governour 
of  Virginia  to  proceed,  though  the  rest  of  the  company 
should  abandon  me ;  the  sight  of  which  laid  their  fury. 

The  lesser  hills,  or  Akontshuck,  are  here  unpassable, 
being  both  steep  and  craggy  :  the  rocks  seemed  to  be  at  a 
distance  to  resemble  eggs  set  up  an  end. 

James-river  is  here  as  broad  as  it  is  about  an  hundred 
mile  lower  at  Monakin  ;  the  passage  over  is  very  dangerous, 
by  reason  of  the  rapid  torrents  made  by  rocks  and  shelves 
forcing  the  water  into  narrow  chanels.       From  an    observa- 


13 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

tion  which  we  made  of  straws  and  rotten  chuncks  hanging 
in  the  boughs  of  trees  on  the  bank,  and  two  and  twenty 
feet  above  water,  we  argued  that  the  melted  snow  falling 
from  the  mountains  swelled  the  river  to  that  height,  the 
flood  carrying  down  that  rubbish  which,  upon  the  abatement 
of  the  inundation,  remained  in  the  trees. 

The  air  in  these  parts  was  so  moist,  that  all  our  biscuit 
became  mouldy,  and  unfit  to  be  eaten,  so  that  some  nicer 
stomachs,  who  at  our  setting  out  laughed  at  my  provision 
of  Indian-meal  parched,  would  gladly  now  have  shared  with 
me  :  but  I  being  determined  to  go  upon  further  discoveries, 
refused  to  part  with  any  of  that  which  was  to  be  my  most 
necessary  sustenance. 


The    Continuation    of    the    Second    Expedition 

from  Mahock,  Southward,  into  the 

Province  of  Carolina. 

The  fifth  of  June,  my  company  and  I  parted  good 
friends,  they  back  again,  and  I  with  one  Sasquesahanough- 
Indian,  named  Jackzetavon,  only,  in  pursuit  of  my  first  en- 
terprize,  changing  my  course  from  west  to  southwest  and 
by  south,  to  avoid  the  mountains.  Major  Harris  at  parting 
gave  me  a  gun,  believing  me  a  lost  man,  and  given  up  as 
a  prey  to  Indians  or  savage  beasts  ;  which  made  him  the 
bolder  in  Virginia  to  report  strange  things  in  his  own  praise 
and  my  disparagement,  presuming  I  would  never  appear  to 
disprove  him.  This,  I  suppose,  and  no  other,  was  the  cause 
that  he  did  with  so  much  industry  procure  me  discredit  and 
odium  ;  but  I  have  lost  nothing  by  it,  but  what  I  never 
studied  to  gain,  which  is  popular  applause. 

From  the  fifth,  which  was  Sunday,  until  the  ninth  of 
June,  I  travelled  through  diffisult  ways,  without  seeing  any 
town  or  Indian  ;   and  then  I  arrived  at  Sapon,    a    village   of 


H 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

the  Nahyssans,  about  an  hundred  miles  distant  from  Mahock, 
scituate  upon  a  branch  of  Shawan,  alias  Rorenock-river ; 
and  though  I  had  just  cause  to  fear  these  Indians,  because 
they  had  been  in  continual  hostility  with  the  Christians  for 
ten  years  before ;  yet  presuming  that  the  truck  which  I 
carried  with  me  would  procure  my  welcome,  I  adventured 
to  put  myself  into  their  power,  having  heard  that  they  never 
offer  any  injury  to  a  few  persons  from  whom  they  appre- 
hend no  danger:  nevertheless,  they  examined  me  strictly 
whence  I  came,  whither  I  went,  and  what  my  business  was. 
But  after  I  had  bestowed  some  trifles  of  glass  and  metal 
amongst  them,  they  were  satisfied  with  reasonable  answers, 
and  I  received  with  all  imaginable  demonstrations  of  kind- 
ness, as  offering  of  sacrifice,  a  compliment  shewed  only  to 
such  as  they  design  particularly  to  honour  :  but  they  went 
further,  and  consulted  their  Godds  whether  they  should  not 
admit  me  into  their  nation  and  councils,  and  oblige  me  to 
stay  amongst  them  by  a  marriage  with  the  kings  or  some 
of  their  great  mens  daughters.  But  I,  though  with  much 
a-do,  waved  their  courtesie,  and  got  my  pastport,  having 
given  my  word  to  return  to  them  within  six  months. 


Sapon  is  within  the  limits  of  the  Province  of  Carolina, 
and  as  you  may  perceive  by  the  figure,  has  all  the  attributes 
requisite  to  a  pleasant  and  advantagious  seat  ;  for  though  it 
stands  high,  and  upon  a  dry  land,  it  enjoys  the  benefit  of  a 
stately  river,  and  a  rich  soyl,  capable  of  producing  many 
commodities,  which  may  hereafter  render  the  trade  of  it 
considerable. 

Not  far  distant  from  hence,  as  I  understood  from  the 
Nahyssan  Indians,  is  their  kings  residence,  called  pintaha 
from  the  same  river,  and  happy  in  the  same  advantages 
both  for  pleasure  and  profit  :  which  my  curiosity  would  have 
led  me  to  see,  were  I  not  bound,  both  by  oath  and  com- 
mission, to  a  direct  pursuance  of  my  intended  purpose  of 
discovering    a  passage  to  the  further  side  of  the  mountains. 


15 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 


This  nation  is  governed  by  an  absolute  monarch  ;  the 
people  of  a  high  stature,  warlike  and  rich.  I  saw  great 
store  of  pearl  unbored  in  their  little  temples,  or  oratories, 
which  they  had  won  amongst  other  spoyls  from  the  Indians 
of  Florida,  and  hold  in  as  great  esteem  as  we  do. 

From  hence,  by  the  Indians  instructions,  I  directed  my 
course  to  Akenatzy,  an  island  bearing  south  and  by  west, 
and  about  fifty  miles  distant,  upon  a  branch  of  the  same 
river,  from  Sapon.  The  countrey  here,  though  high,  is 
level,  and  for  the  most  part  a  rich  soyl,  as  I  judged  by  the 
growth  of  the  trees ;  yet  where  it  is  inhabited  by  Indians, 
it  lies  open  in  spacious  plains,  and  is  blessed  with  a  very 
healthful  air,  as  appears  by  the  age  and  vigour  of  the  people ; 
and  though  I  travelled  in  the  month  of  June,  the  heat  of 
the  weather  hindered  me  not  from  riding  at  all  hours  with- 
out any  great  annoyance  from  the  sun.  By  easie  journeys 
I  landed  at  Akenatzy  upon  the  twelfth  of  June.  The  cur- 
rent of  the  river  is  here  so  strong,  that  my  horse  had  much 
difficulty  to  resist  it ;  and  I  expected  every  step  to  be  carried 
away  with  the  stream. 

This  island,  though  small,  maintains  many  inhabitants, 
who  are  fix't  here  in  great  security,  being  naturallv  fortified 
with  fastnesses  of  mountains,  and  water  of  every  side.  Upon 
the  north-shore  they  yearly  reap  great  crops  of  corn,  of 
which  they  always  have  a  twelve-months  provision  afore- 
hand,  against  an  invasion  from  their  powerful  neighbours. 
Their  government  is  under  two  kings,  one  presiding  in  arms, 
the  other  in  hunting  and  husbandry.  They  hold  all  things, 
except  their  wives,  in  common  ;  and  their  custome  in  eat- 
ing is,  that  every  man  in  his  turn  feasts  all  the  rest;  and 
he  that  makes  the  entertainment  is  seated  betwixt  the  two 
kings ;  where  having  highly  commended  his  own  chear, 
they    carve    and    distribute    it    amongst    the    guests. 

At  my  arrival  here,  I  met  four  stranger-Indians,  whose 
bodies  were  painted  in  various  colours  with  figures  of  animals 
whose  likeness  I  had  never  seen  :  and  by  some  discourse 
and   signes  which  passed  between   us,   I   gathered  that  they 

16 


The     Discoveries     of    John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 


were  the  only  survivors  of  fifty,  who  set  out  together  in 
company  from  some  great  island,  as  I  conjecture,  to  the  north- 
west ;  for  I  understood  that  they  crossed  a  great  water,  in 
which  most  of  their  party  perished  by  tempest,  the  rest 
dying  in  the  marishes  and  mountains  by  famine  and  hard 
weather,  after  a  two-months  travel  by  land  and  water  in 
quest    of    this    island    of    Akenatzy. 

The  most  remarkable  conjecture  that  I  can  frame  out 
of  this  relation  is,  that  these  Indians  might  come  from  the 
island  of  new  Albion  or  California,  from  whence  we  may 
imagine  some  great  arm  of  the  Indian  ocean  or  bay  stretches 
into  the  continent  towards  the  Apalatsean  mountains  in  the 
nature  of  a  mid-land  sea,  in  which  many  of  these  Indians 
might  have  perished.  To  confirm  my  opinion  in  this  point, 
I  have  heard  several  Indians  testifie,  that  the  nation  of 
Rickohockans,  who  dwell  not  far  to  the  westward  of  the 
Apalataean  mountains,  are  seated  upon  a  land,  as  they  term 
it,  of  great  waves;  by  which  I  suppose  they  mean  the  sea- 
shore. 

The  next  day  after  my  arrival  at  Akenatzy,  a  Rick- 
ohockan  Ambassadour,  attended  by  five  Indians,  whose  faces 
were  coloured  with  auripigmentum  (in  which  mineral  these 
parts  do  much  abound)  was  received,  and  that  night  invited 
to  a  ball  of  their  fashion  ;  but  in  the  height  of  their  mirth 
and  dancing,  by  a  smoke  contrived  for  that  purpose,  the 
room  was  suddenly  darkned,  and  for  what  cause  I  know 
not,  the  Rickohockan  and  his  retinue  barbarously  murthered. 
This  struck  me  with  such  an  affrightment,  that  the  very 
next  day,  without  taking  my  leave  of  them,  I  slunk  away 
with  my  Indian  companion.  Though  the  desire  of  informing 
my  self  further  concerning  some  minerals,  as  auripigmentum, 
etc.  which  I  there  took  special  notice  of,  would  have  per- 
swaded  me  to  stay  longer  amongst  them,  had  not  the  bloody 
example  of  their  treachery  to  the  Rickohockans  frightened 
me  away. 


17 


The    Discoveries     of    John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

The  fourteenth  of  June,  pursuing  a  south-southwest 
course,  sometimes  by  a  beaten  path,  and  sometimes  over  hills 
and  rocks,  I  was  forc'd  to  take  up  my  quarters  in  the  woods  : 
for  though  the  Oenock-Indians,  whom  I  then  sought,  were 
not  in  a  direct  line  above  thirty  odde  miles  distant  from 
Akenatzy,  yet  the  ways  were  such,  and  obliged  me  to  go 
so  far  about,  that  I  reached  not  Oenock  until  the  sixteenth. 
The  country  here,  by  the  industry  of  these  Indians,  is  very 
open,  and  clear  of  wood.  Their  town  is  built  round  a 
field,  where  in  their  sports  they  exercise  with  so  much 
labour  and  violence,  and  in  so  great  numbers,  that  I  have 
seen  the  ground  wet  with  the  sweat  that  dropped  from 
their  bodies :  their  chief  recreation  is  slinging  of  stones. 
They  are  of  mean  stature  and  courage,  covetous  and  thievish, 
industrious  to  earn  a  peny ;  and  therefore  hire  themselves 
out  to  their  neighbours,  who  employ  them  as  carryers  or 
porters.  They  plant  abundance  of  grain,  reap  three  crops 
in  a  summer,  and  out  of  their  granary  supply  all  the  adjacent 
parts.  These  and  the  mountain-Indians  build  not  their 
houses  of  bark,  but  of  watling  and  plaister.  In  summer, 
the  heat  of  the  weather  makes  them  chuse  to  lie  abroad 
in  the  night  under  thin  arbours  of  wild  palm.  Some  houses 
they  have  of  reed  and  bark ;  they  build  them  generally  round  : 
to  each  house  belongs  a  little  hovel  made  like  an  oven, 
where  they  lay  up  their  corn  and  mast,  and  keep  it  dry. 
They  parch  their  nuts  and  acorns  over  the  fire,  to  take 
away  their  rank  oyliness ;  which  afterwards  pressed,  yeeld  a 
milky  liquor,  and  the  acorns  an  amber-colour'd  oyl.  In 
these,  mingled  together,  they  dip  their  cakes  at  great  enter- 
tainments, and  so  serve  them  up  to  their  guests  as  an  ex- 
traordinary dainty.  Their  government  is  democratick  ;  and 
the  sentences  of  their  old  men  are  received  as  laws,  or  rather 
oracles,   by  them. 

Fourteen  miles  west-southwest  of  the  Oenocks,  dwell 
the  Shackory-Indians,  upon  a  rich  soyl,  and  yet  abounding 
in  antimony,  of  which  they  shewed  me  considerable  quantities. 
Finding   them  agree   with  the  Oenocks  in  customs  and  man- 

18 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

ners,  I  made  no  stay  here,  but  passing  thorow  their  town, 
I  travelled  till  the  nineteenth  of  June  ;  and  then  after  a  two 
days  troublesome  journey  thorow  thickets  and  marish 
grounds,  I  arrived  at  Watary  above  fourty  miles  distant,  and 
bearing  west-southwest  to  Shakor.  This  nation  differs  in 
government  from  all  the  other  Indians  of  these  parts :  for 
they  are  slaves,  rather  than  subjects  to  their  king.  Their 
present  monarch  is  a  grave  man,  and  courteous  to  strangers  : 
yet  I  could  not  without  horrour  behold  his  barbarous  super- 
stition, in  hiring  three  youths,  and  sending  them  forth  to 
kill  as  many  young  women  of  their  enemies  as  they  could 
light  on,  to  serve  his  son,  then  newly  dead,  in  the  other 
world,  as  he  vainly  fancyed.  These  youths  during  my  stay 
returned  with  skins  torn  off  the  heads  and  faces  of  three 
young  girls,  which  they  presented  to  his  majestie,  and  were 
by  him  gratefully  received. 


I  departed  from  Watary  the  one  and  twentieth  of  June  : 
and  keeping  a  west-course  for  near  thirty  miles,  I  came  to 
Sara  :  here  I  found  the  ways  more  level  and  easie.  Sara 
is  not  far  distant  from  the  mountains,  which  here  lose 
their  height,  and  change  their  course  and  name :  for  they 
run  due  west,  and  receive  from  the  Spaniards  the  name  of 
Suala.  From  these  mountains  or  hills  the  Indians  draw 
great  quantities  of  cinabar,  with  which  beaten  to  powder 
they  colour  their  faces :  this  mineral  is  of  a  deeper  purple 
than  vermilion,  and  is  the  same  which  is  in  so  much  esteem 
amongst    physitians,    being    the    first   element    of  quicksilver. 

I  did  likewise,  to  my  no  small  admiration,  find  hard 
cakes  of  white  salt  amongst  them  :  but  whether  they  were 
made  of  sea-water,  or  taken  out  of  salt-pits,  I  know  not ; 
but  am  apt  to  believe  the  later,  because  the  sea  is  so  remote 
from  them.  Many  other  rich  commodities  and  minerals 
there  are  undoubtedly  in  these  parts,  which  if  possessed  by 
an   ingenious  and   industrious  people,  would  be   improved  to 


19 


The     Discoveries     of    John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

vast  advantages  by  trade.  But  having  tied  my  self  up  to 
things  onely  that  I  have  seen  in  my  travels,  I  will  deliver 
no  conjectures. 

Lingua  sile  non  est  ultra  narrabile  quidquam. 

These  Indians  are  so  indiscreetly  fond  of  their  children, 
that  they  will  not  chastise  them  for  any  mischief  or  inso- 
lence. A  little  boy  had  shot  an  arrow  thorow  my  body, 
had  I  not  reconciled  him  to  me  with  gifts :  and  all  this 
anger  was,  because  I  spurred  my  horse  out  of  another 
arrows  way  which  he  directed  at  him.  This  caused  such 
a  mutiny  amongst  the  youth  of  the  town,  that  the  seniors 
taking  my  horse  and  self  into  protection,  had  much  ado 
(and  that  by  intreaties  and  prayers,  not  commands)  to 
appease  them. 

From  Sara  I  kept  a  south-southwest  course  until  the 
five  and  twentieth  of  June,  and  then  I  reached  Wisacky. 
This  three-days  march  was  more  troublesome  to  me  than 
all  my  travels  besides :  for  the  direct  way  which  I  took 
from  Sara  to  Wisacky,  is  over  a  continuous  marish  over- 
grown with  reeds,  from  whose  roots  sprung  knotty  stumps 
as    hard    and    sharp    as    flint.  I    was    forc'd    to    lead    my 

horse  most  part  of  the  way,  and   wonder   that   he  was    not 
either  plunged  in  the  bogs,  or  lamed  by  those  rugged  knots. 

This  nation  is  subject  to  a  neighbour  king  residing 
upon  the  bank  of  a  great  lake  called  Ushery,  invironed  of 
all  sides  with  mountains,  and  Wisacky  marish ;  and  there- 
fore I  will  detain  the  reader  no  longer  with  the  discourse 
of    them,    because    I   comprehend    them  in   that   of   Ushery. 

The  six  and  twentieth  of  June,  having  crossed  a  fresh 
river  which  runs  into  the  lake  of  Ushery,  I  came  to  the 
town,  which  was  more  populous  than  any  I  had  seen  before 
in  my  march.  The  king  dwells  some  three  miles  from  it, 
and  therefore  I  had  no  opportunity  of  seeing  him  the  two 
nights  which  I  stayed  there.  This  prince,  though  his 
dominions  are  large  and  populous,  is  in  continual  fear  of 
the  Oustack-Indians  seated  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake  ; 


20 


The     Discoveries     of    John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 


a  people  so  addicted  to  arms,  that  even  their  women  come 
into  the  field,  and  shoot  arrows  over  their  husbands  shoulders, 
who  shield  them  with  leathern  targets.  The  men  it  seems 
should  fight  with  silver-hatchets :  for  one  of  the  Usheryes 
told  me  that  they  were  of  the  same  metal  with  the  pomel 
of  my  sword.  They  are  a  cruel  generation,  and  prey 
upon  people,  whom  they  either  steal  or  force  away  from 
the  Usheryes  in  Periago's,  to  sacrifice  to  their  idols.  The 
Ushery-women  delight  in  feather-ornaments,  of  which  they 
have  great  variety ;  but  peacocks  in  most  esteem,  because 
rare  in  those  parts.  They  are  reasonably  handsome,  and 
have  more  of  civility  in  their  carriage  than  I  observed  in 
the  other  nations  with  whom  I  conversed ;  which  is  the 
reason    that    the    men    are    more    effeminate    and    lazie. 

These  miserable  wretches  are  strangely  infatuated  with 
illusions  of  the  devil :  it  caused  no  small  horrour  in  me,  to 
see  one  of  them  wrythe  his  neck  all  on  one  side,  foam 
at  the  mouth,  stand  bare-foot  upon  burning  coals  for  near 
an  hour,  and  then  recovering  his  senses,  leap  out  of  the 
fire  without  hurt  or  signe  of  any.  This  I  was  an  eye- 
witness of. 

The  water  of  Ushery-lake  seemed  to  my  taste  a  little 
brackish ;  which  I  rather  impute  to  some  mineral-waters 
which  flow  into  it,  than  to  any  saltness  it  can  take  from 
the  sea,  which  we  may  reasonably  suppose  is  a  great  way 
from  it.  Many  pleasant  rivulets  fall  into  it,  and  it  is  stored 
with  great  plenty  of  excellent  fish.  I  judged  it  to  be  about 
ten  leagues  broad :  for  were  not  the  other  shore  very 
high,  it  could  not  be  discerned  from  Ushery.  How  far 
this  lake  tends  westerly,  or  where  it  ends,  I  could  neither 
learn  or  guess. 

Here  I  made  a  days  stay,  to  inform  my  self  further  in 
these  countries ;  and  understood  both  from  the  Usheries, 
and  some  Sara-Indians  that  came  to  trade  with  them,  that 
two-days  journey  and  a  half  from  hence  to  the  southwest, 
a  powerful  nation  of  bearded  men  were  seated,  which  I 
suppose    to  be  the  Spaniards,    because  the  Indians  never  have 


21 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

any ;  it  being  an  universal  custom  among  them  to  prevent 
their  growth,  by  plucking  the  young  hair  out  by  the  roots. 
Westward  lies  a  government  inhospitable  to  strangers  ;  and 
to  the  north,  over  the  Suala-mountains,  lay  the  Rickohockans. 
I  thought  it  not  safe  to  venture  my  self  amongst  the 
Spaniards,  lest  taking  me  for  a  spy,  they  would  either  make 
me  away,  or  condemn  me  to  a  perpetual  slavery  in  their 
mines.  Therefore  not  thinking  fit  to  proceed  further,  the 
eight  and  twentieth  of  June  I  faced  about,  and  looked 
homewards. 

To  avoid  Wisacky-marish,  I  shaped  my  course  northeast  ; 
and  after  three  days  travel  over  hilly  ways,  where  I  met 
with  no  path  or  road,  I  fell  into  a  barren  sandy  desert, 
where  I  suffered  miserably  for  want  of  water  ;  the  heat  of 
the  summer  having  drunk  all  the  springs  dry,  and  left  no 
signe  of  any,  but  the  gravelly  chanels  in  which  they  run  : 
so  that  if  now  and  then  I  had  not  found  a  standing  pool, 
which  provident  nature  set  round  with  shady  oaks,  to  defend 
it  from  the  ardour  of  the  sun,  my  Indian  companion,  horse 
and  self  had  certainly  perished  with  thirst.  In  this  distress 
we  travelled  till  the  twelfth  of  July,  and  then  found  the 
head  of  a  river,  which  afterwards  proved  Eruco  ;  in  which 
we  received  not  onely  the  comfort  of  a  necessary  and 
reasonable  refreshment,  but  likewise  the  hopes  of  coming 
into  a  country  again  where  we  might  find  game  for  food  at 
least,  if  not  discover  some  new  nation  or  people.  Nor  did 
our  hopes  fail  us :  for  after  we  had  crossed  the  river  twice, 
we  were  led  by  it  upon  the  fourteenth  of  July  to  the  town 
of  Katearas,  a  place  of  great  Indian  trade  and  commerce, 
and  chief  seat  of  the  haughty  Emperour  of  the  Toskiroro's, 
called  Kaskufara,  vulgarly  Kaskous.  His  grim  Majestie, 
upon  my  first  appearance,  demanded  my  gun  and  shot  ; 
which  I  willingly  parted  with  to  ransom  my  self  out  of  his 
clutches  :  for  he  was  the  most  proud  imperious  barbarian 
that  I  met  with  in  all  my  marches.  The  people  here  at 
this  time  seemed  prepared  for  some  extraordinary  solemnity  : 


22 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

for  the  men  and  the  women  of  better  sort  had  decked 
themselves  very  fine  with  pieces  of  bright  copper  in  their 
hair  and  ears,  and  about  their  arms  and  neck,  which  upon 
festival  occasions  they  use  as  an  extraordinary  bravery:  by 
which  it  should  seem  this  country  is  not  without  rich 
mines  of  copper.  But  I  durst  not  stay  to  inform  my  self 
further  in  it,  being  jealous  of  some  sudden  mischief  towards 
me  from  Kaskous,  his  nature  being  bloudy,  and  provoked 
upon  any  slight  occasion. 

Therefore  leaving  Katearas,  I  travelled  through  the 
woods  until  the  sixteenth,  upon  which  I  came  to  Kawitzio- 
kan,  an  Indian  town  upon  a  branch  of  Korenoke-river, 
which  here  I  passed  over,  continuing  my  journey  to  Men- 
chaerinck;  and  on  the  seventeenth  departing  from  thence, 
I  lay  all  night  in  the  woods,  and  the  next  morning  betimes 
going  by  Natoway,  I  reached  that  evening  Apamatuck  in 
Virginia,  where  I  was  not  a  little  overjoyed  to  see  Christian 
faces  again. 


THE  THIRD   AND   LAST   EXPEDITION. 

From  the  Falls  of  Rappahanock-River  in 

Virginia,    (due  West)   to  the  top  of 

the  Apalataean  Mountains. 

On  the  twentieth  of  August  1670,  Col.  Catlet  of  Vir- 
ginia and  my  self,  with  nine  English  horse,  and  five  Indians 
on  foot,  departed  from  the  house  of  one  Robert  Talifer, 
and  that  night  reached  the  falls  of  Rappahanock-river,  in 
Indian  Mantapeuck. 

The  next  day  we  passed  it  over  where  it  divides  into 
two  branches  north  and  south,  keeping  the  main  branch 
north  of  us. 


23 


The    Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

The  three  and  twentieth  we  found  it  so  shallow,  that 
it  onely  wet  our  horses  hoofs. 

The  four  and  twentieth  we  travelled  thorow  the  Savanae 
amongst  vast  herds  of  red  and  fallow  deer  which  stood  gaz- 
ing at  us ;  and  a  little  after,  we  came  to  the  Promontories 
or  spurs  of  the  Apalataean-mountains. 

These  Savanae  are  low  grounds  at  the  foot  of  the 
Apalataeans,  which  all  the  winter,  spring,  and  part  of  the 
summer,  lie  under  snow  or  water,  when  the  snow  is  dis- 
solved, which  falls  down  from  the  mountains  commonly 
about  the  beginning  of  June ;  and  then  their  verdure  is 
wonderful  pleasant  to  the  eye,  especially  of  such  as  having 
travelled  through  the  shade  of  the  vast  forest,  come  out  of 
a  melacholy  darkness  of  a  sudden,  into  a  clear  and  open 
skie.  To  heighten  the  beauty  of  these  parts,  the  first 
springs  of  most  of  those  great  rivers  which  run  into  the 
Atlantick  ocean,  or  Cheseapeack  bay,  do  here  break  out, 
and  in  various  branches  interlace  the  flowry  meads,  whose 
luxurious  herbage  invites  numerous  herds  of  red  deer  (for 
their  unusual  largeness  improperly  termed  elks  by  ignorant 
people)  to  feed.  The  right  elk,  though  very  common  in 
New  Scotland,  Canada,  and  those  northern  parts,  is  never 
seen  on  this  side  of  the  continent :  for  that  which  the 
Virginians  call  elks,  does  not  at  all  differ  from  the  red  deer 
of  Europe,  but  in  his  dimensions,  which  are  far  greater  :  but 
yet  the  elk  in  bigness  does  as  far  exceed  them  :  their  heads, 
or  horns,  are  not  very  different ;  but  the  neck  of  the  elk  is 
so  short,  that  it  hardly  separates  the  head  from  the  shoul- 
ders ;  which  is  the  reason  that  they  cannot  feed  upon  level 
ground  but  by  falling  on  their  knees,  though  their  heads  be 
a  yard  long :  therefore  they  commonly  either  brcuse  upon 
trees,  or  standing  up  to  the  belly  in  ponds  or  rivers  feed 
upon  the  banks :  their  cingles  or  tails  are  hardly  three  inches 
long.  I  have  been  told  by  a  New-England  gentlemen,  that 
the  lips  and  nostrils  of  this  creature  is  the  most  delicious 
meat  he  ever  tasted.  As  the  red  deer  we  here  treat  of,  I  can- 
not difference  the  taste  of  their   flesh  from  those   in  Europe. 


24 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

The  six  and  twentieth  of  August  we  came  to  the 
monntains,  where  finding  no  horseway  up,  we  alighted,  and 
left  our  horses  with  two  or  three  Indians  below,  whilst  we 
went  up  afoot.  The  ascent  was  so  steep,  the  cold  so  in- 
tense, and  we  so  tired,  that  having  with  much  ado  gained 
the  top  of  one  of  the  highest,  we  drank  the  kings  health 
in  brandy,  gave  the  mountain  his  name,  and  agreed  to 
return  back  again,  having  no  encouragement  from  that 
prospect  to  proceed  to  a  further  discovery  ;  since  from  hence 
we  saw  another  mountain,  bearing  north  and  by  west  to  us, 
of  a  prodigious  height :  for  according  to  an  observation  of 
the  distance  taken  by  Col.  Catlet,  it  could  not  be  less  than 
fifty  leagues  from  the  place  we  stood  upon. 

Here  I  was  stung  in  my  sleep  by  a  mountain-spider ; 
and  had  not  an  Indian  suckt  out  the  poyson,  I  had  died  : 
for  receiving  the  hurt  at  the  tip  of  one  of  my  fingers,  the 
venome  shot  up  immediately  into  my  shoulder,  and  so  in- 
flamed my  side,  that  it  is  not  possible  to  express  my  tor- 
ment. The  means  used  by  my  physician,  was  first  a  small 
dose  of  snake-root-powder,  which  I  took  in  a  little  water: 
and  then  making  a  kinde  of  plaister  of  the  same,  applied  it 
neer  to  the  part  affected  :  when  he  had  done  so,  he  swal- 
lowed some  by  way  of  antidote  himself,  and  suckt  my  fingers 
end  so  violently,  that  I  felt  the  venome  retire  back  from  my 
side  into  my  shoulder,  and  from  thence  down  my  arm : 
having  thus  suckt  half  a  score  times,  and  spit  as  often,  I  was 
eased  of  all  my  pain,  and  perfectly  recovered.  I  thought  I 
had  been  bit  by  a  rattlesnake,  for  I  saw  not  what  hurt  me  : 
but  the  Indian  found  by  the  wound,  and  the  effects  of  it, 
that  it  was  given  by  a  spider,  one  of  which  he  shewed  me 
the  next  day:  it  is  not  unlike  our  great  blue  spider,  onely 
it  is  somewhat  longer.  I  suppose  the  nature  of  his  poyson 
to  be  much  like  that  of  the  tarantula. 

I  being  thus  beyond  my  hopes  and  expectations  restored 
to  my  self,  we  unanimously  agreed  to  return  back,  seeing 
no  possibility  of  passing  through  the  mountains  :  and  rinding 
our  Indians  with  our  horses  in  the  place  where  we  left  them, 
we  rode  homewards  without    making  any  further   discovery. 

25 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

Conjectures    of    the    Land    Beyond    the 
Apalataean    Mountains. 

They  are  certainly  in  a  great  error,  who  imagine  that 
the  continent  of  North-America  is  but  eight  or  ten  days 
journey  over  from  the  Atlantick  to  the  Indian  ocean :  which 
all  reasonable  men  must  acknowledge,  if  they  consider  that 
Sir  Francis  Drake  kept  a  west-northwest  course  from  Cape 
Mendocino  to  California.  Nevertheless,  by  what  I  gathered 
from  the  stranger  Indians  at  Akenatzy  of  their  voyage  by 
sea  to  the  very  mountains  from  a  far  distant  northwest 
country,  I  am  brought  over  to  their  opinion  who  think  that 
the  Indian  ocean  does  stretch  an  arm  or  bay  from  California 
into  the  continent  as  far  as  the  Apalataean  mountains, 
answerable  to  the  Gulfs  of  Florida  and  Mexico  on  this  side. 
Yet  I  am  far  from  believing  with  some,  that  such  great  and 
navigable  rivers  are  to  be  found  on  the  other  side  the 
Apalataeans  falling  into  the  Indian  ocean,  as  those  which 
run  from  them  to  the  eastward.  My  first  reason  is  derived 
from  the  knowledge  and  experience  we  already  have  of 
South-America,  whose  Andes  send  the  greatest  rivers  in  the 
world  (as  the  Amazones  and  Rio  de  la  Plata,  etc.)  into  the 
Atlantick,  but  none  at  all  into  the  Pacifique  sea.  Another 
argument  is,  that  all  our  water-fowl  which  delight  in  lakes 
and  rivers,  as  swans,  geese,  ducks,  etc.,  come  over  the 
mountains  from  the  Lake  of  Canada,  when  it  is  frozen  over 
every  winter,  to  our  fresh  rivers  ;  which  they  would  never  do, 
could    they    find   any  on  the  other  side    of  the  Apalataeans. 


Instructions    to    Such    as    Shall    March    Upon 

Discoveries  into  the  North-American 

Continent. 

Two  breaches  there  are   in    the  Apalataean    mountains, 
opening  a  passage  into  the  western  parts  of    the  continent. 

26 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  er 

One,  as  I  am  informed  by  Indians,  at  a  place  called  Zynodoa, 
to  the  norward;  the  other  Sara,  where  I  have  been  my 
self :  but  the  way  thither  being  thorow  a  vast  forest,  where 
you  seldom  fall  into  any  road  or  path,  you  must  shape  your 
course  by  a  compass  ;  though  some,  for  want  of  one,  have 
taken  their  direction  from  the  north-side  of  the  trees,  which 
is  distinguished  from  the  rest  by  quantities  of  thick  moss 
growing  there.  You  will  not  meet  with  many  hinderances 
on  horseback  in  your  passage  to  the  mountains,  but  where 
your  course  is  interrupted  by  branches  of  the  great  rivers, 
which  in  many  places  are  not  fordable ;  and  therefore  if 
you  be  unprovided  of  means  or  strength  to  make  a  bridge 
by  felling  trees  across,  you  may  be  forced  to  go  a  great  way 
about :  in  this  respect  company  is  necessary,  but  in  others 
so  inconvenient,  that  I  would  not  advise  above  half  a  dozen, 
or  ten  at  the  most,  to  travel  together ;  and  of  these,  the 
major  part  Indians  :  for  the  nations  in  your  way  are  prone 
to  jealousie  and  mischief  towards  Christians  in  a  considerable 
body,  and  as  courteous  and  hearty  to  a  few,  from  whom 
they  apprehend  no  danger. 

When  you  pass  thorow  an  even  level  country  where 
you  can  take  no  particular  remarks  from  hill  or  waters  to 
guide  your  self  by  when  you  come  back,  you  must  not 
forget  to  notch  the  trees  as  you  go  along  with  your  small 
hatchet,  that  in  your  return  you  may  know  when  you  fall 
into  the  same  way  which  you  went.  By  this  means  you 
will  be  certain  of  the  place  which  you  are  in,  and  may 
govern  your  course  homeward  accordingly. 

In  stead  of  bread,  I  used  the  meal  of  parched  mayz, 
i.  e.  Indian  wheat ;  which  when  I  eat,  I  seasoned  with  a 
little  salt.  This  is  both  more  portable  and  strengthening 
than  biscuit,  and  will  suffer  no  mouldiness  by  any  weather. 
For  other  provisions,  you  may  securely  trust  to  your  gun, 
the  woods  being  full  of  fallow,  and  savanae  of  red-deer, 
besides  great    variety    of    excellent    fowl,    as    wilde    turkeys, 


27 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

pigeons,  partridges,  phesants,  etc.  But  you  must  not  forget 
to  dry  or  barbecue  some  of  these  before  you  come  to  the 
mountains :  for  upon  them  you  will  meet  with  no  game, 
except  a  few  bears. 

Such  as  cannot  lie  on  the  ground,  must  be  provided 
with  light  hamacks,  which  hung  in  the  trees,  are  more  cool 
and  pleasant  than  any  bed  whatsoever. 

The  order  and  disciplne  to  be  observed  in  this  expedi- 
tion is,  that  an  Indian  scout  or  two  march  as  far  before 
the  rest  of  the  party  as  they  can  in  sight,  both  for  the 
finding  out  provision,  and  discovery  of  ambushes,  if  any 
should  be  laid  by  enemies.  Let  your  other  Indians  keep  on 
the  right  and  left  hand,  armed  not  onely  with  guns,  but 
bills  and  hatchets,  to  build  small  arbours  or  cottages  of 
boughs  and  bark  of  trees,  to  shelter  and  defend  you  from 
the  injuries  of  the  weather.  At  nights  it  is  necessary  to 
make  great  fires  round  about  the  place  where  you  take  up 
your  lodging,  as  well  to  scare  wild-beasts  away,  as  to  purifie 
the  air.  Neither  must  you  fail  to  go  the  round  at  the  close 
of  the  evening  :  for  then,  and  betimes  in  the  morning,  the 
Indians  put  all  their  designes  in  execution :  in  the  night 
they  never  attempt  any  thing. 

When  in  the  remote  parts  you  draw  near  to  an  Indian 
town,  you  must  by  your  scouts  inform  your  self  whether 
they  hold  any  correspondence  with  the  Sasquesahanaughs  : 
for  to  such  you  must  give  notice  of  your  approach  by  a 
gun  ;  which  amongst  other  Indians  is  to  be  avoided,  because 
being  ignorant  of  their  use,  it  would  affright  and  dispose 
them  to  some  treacherous  practice  against  you. 

Being  arrived  at  a  town,  enter  no  house  until  you  are 
invited ;  and  then  seem  not  afraid  to  be  led  in  pinion'd  like 
a  prisoner:  for  that  is  a  ceremony  they  use  to  friends  and 
enemies  without  distinction. 

You  must  accept  of  an  invitation  from  the  seniors, 
before  that  of  the  young  men  ;  and  refuse  nothing  that  is 
offered  or  set  before  you :  for  they  are  very  jealous,  and 
sensible  of  the  least  slighting  or  neglect  from  strangers,  and 
mindful  of  revenge. 

28 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 


Touching    Trade    with    Indians. 

If  you  barely  designe  a  home-trade  with  neighbour- 
Indians,  for  skins  of  deer,  beaver,  otter,  wild-cat,  fox,  racoon, 
etc.  your  best  truck  is  a  sort  of  course  trading  cloth,  of 
which  a  yard  and  a  half  makes  a  matchcoat  or  mantle  fit 
for  their  wear ;  as  also  axes,  hoes,  knives,  sizars,  and  all 
sorts  of  edg'd  tools.  Guns,  powder  and  shot,  etc.  are  com- 
modities they  will  greedily  barter  for :  but  to  supply  the 
Indians  with  arms  and  ammunition,  is  prohibited  in  all 
English  governments. 

In  dealing  with  the  Indians,  you  must  be  positive  and 
at  a  word :  for  if  they  perswade  you  to  fall  any  thing  in 
your  price,  they  will  spend  time  in  higgling  for  further 
abatements,  and  seldom  conclude  any  bargain.  Sometimes 
you  may  with  brandy  or  strong  liquor  dispose  them  to  an 
humour  of  giving  you  ten  times  the  value  of  your  com- 
modity ;  and  at  other  times  they  are  so  hide-bound,  that 
they  will  not  offer  half  the  market-price,  especially  if  they 
be  aware  that  you  have  a  designe  to  circumvent  them  with 
drink,  or  that  they  think  you  have  a  desire  to  their  goods, 
which  you  must  seem  to  slight  and  disparage. 

To  the  remoter  Indians,  you  must  carry  other  kinde  of 
truck,  as  small  looking-glasses,  pictures,  beads  and  bracelets 
of  glass,  knives,  sizars,  and  all  manner  of  gaudy  toys  and 
knacks  for  children,  which  are  light  and  portable.  For  they 
are  apt  to  admire  such  trinkets,  and  will  purchase  them  at 
any  rate,  either  with  their  currant  coyn  of  small  shells, 
which  they  call  roanoack  or  peack,  or  perhaps  with  pearl, 
vermilion,  pieces  of  christal ;  and  towards  Ushery,  with  some 
odde  pieces  of  plate  or  buillon,  which  they  sometimes  receive 
in  truck  from  the  Oestacks. 

Could  I  have  foreseen  when  I  set  out,  the  advantages 
to  be  made  by  a  trade  with  those  remote  Indians,  I  had 
gone  better  provided  ;  though  perhaps  I  might  have  run  a 
great  hazard  of  my  life,  had  I  purchased  considerably  amongst 
them,  by  carrying  wealth  unguarded  through  so  many  different 


29 


The     Discoveries     of     John     L  e  d  e  r  e  r 

nations  of  barbarous  people  :  therefore  it  is  vain  for  any  man 
to  propose  to  himself,  or  undertake  a  trade  at  that  distance, 
unless  he  goes  with  strength  to  defend,  as  well  as  an  adven- 
ture to  purchase  such  commodities  :  for  in  such  a  design 
many  ought  to  joyn  and  go  in  company. 

Some  pieces  of  silver  unwrought  I  purchased  my  self  of 
the  Usheries,  for  no  other  end  than  to  justifie  this  account 
I  give  of  my  second  expedition,  which  had  not  determined 
at  Ushery,  were  I  accompanied  with  half  a  score  resolute 
youths  that  would  have  stuck  to  me  in  a  further  discovery 
towards  the  Spanish  mines. 


FINIS 


30 


